A Trip to the Circus
by andaere
Summary: Mrs. Lovett and Toby decide to go to the circus, and Mrs. Lovett manages to get Sweeney to come along. She discovers something very... interesting about Sweeney at the circus. Oneshot.


**A/N:** To everyone who doesn't know me... HI! And to everyone who does... Here's another story from me! This one's longer than the stories I've been writing lately (but not as long as Of Eyes and Purposes) and different from the stuff I usually write. It's very silly and probably a bit OOC, although I tried hard not to make it too ridiculous. This story was partially inspired by **cheesebot12** and her awesome story _Arachnophobia_. You should read it. xD

Anyway, without further ado... A Trip to the Circus!! -polite applause-

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sweeney Todd, unfortunately...

* * *

**A Trip to the Circus**

"Mr. T, guess wot?" Mrs. Lovett asked cheerily as she entered the dark, gloomy barber shop.

Sweeney Todd was looking out the window, polishing his razor and ignoring her. Nothing unusual there.

"Guess wot?" Nellie repeated. She felt happy and optimistic and was determined to get a response out of her Mr. Todd no matter what.

"Wot?" Sweeney finally asked gruffly, obviously more than a little annoyed. It seemed extremely hard for him to speak.

"The circus is comin' to London! Oh, Mr. Todd, it'll be such fun. Toby really wants ta go, and the boy's had such a hard life, he deserves some fun once in a while… You should come wiv us!"

Sweeney shot Mrs. Lovett a look that clearly said, _"You must be kidding,"_ and didn't respond.

"Mr. T," Mrs. Lovett wheedled, "The fresh air will do ya good. Besides, ya never know who might go ta the circus," Nellie added meaningfully. She really had no idea what had gotten into her this fine spring morning. But she was sure of one thing – Mr. Todd was going to the circus whether he liked it or not.

Sweeney still wasn't looking at her and had completely missed her hint. He could be so dense sometimes.

"Mr. T, are you listening to me?" Mrs. Lovett asked with a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Of course," came the automatic reply. Nellie let out a frustrated sigh.

"Mr. Todd, ya can't stay locked up in 'ere forever. Maybe the Judge will be at the circus!"

Finally! That caught his attention. Sweeney actually looked at Mrs. Lovett, supposedly debating whether or not to go on the outing.

"No one will come in for a shave anyway, love. They'll all be at the circus," Mrs. Lovett said.

That convinced him. Sweeney gave a small, barely perceptible nod and turned away.

"Great!" Nellie chirped. "See ya downstairs, Mr. T!"

Mrs. Lovett practically ran down the stairs in excitement. She still had no idea why she had tried to hard to get Mr. Todd to go to the circus. But her tactics had worked!

* * *

"Mum, why'd ya hafta get _'im_ ta go?"

Mrs. Lovett frowned at Toby's question. She had happily told the boy that Sweeney would be going with them to the circus, and this was how he reacted? Nellie knew that there was no love lost between Toby and Mr. Todd, but still…

"Now, I won't let ya talk about Mr. T like that, dear. 'E's been so good to us."

"Yes mum," Toby replied doubtfully. However, he soon cheered up at the thought of going to a circus for the first time in his young life. "The circus'll be great!"

"Yes, dear," Mrs. Lovett replied distractedly, waiting for a certain someone to come walking down the stairs. There he was!

Sweeney Todd was strolling towards the pair slowly and reluctantly, looking as sullen as usual, if not more so.

"Right, loves. Let's go!" Mrs. Lovett said as she set off in the direction of the circus. Toby was right next to her, talking eagerly, while Sweeney trailed behind, looking as if he didn't quite know just what he was doing going to the circus with his landlady and her "son".

* * *

The unorthodox trio quickly found seats in the crowded circus arena. Toby went off to buy some toffees, and Mrs. Lovett just enjoyed the feeling of being with Mr. Todd and having him sitting so close to her.

Finally, Toby came back with a bag of toffees, the crowd quieted, the lights dimmed, and the circus began.

It was amazing. The ringmaster, a tall, mustached man on stilts, would announce various acts and basically just look impressive. Then the acrobats came, jumping, running, leaping, flipping, and twisting their bodies into inhuman shapes. Next, there was a fire breather who fired flames into the sky while the crowed "ooh-ed" and "aah-ed". Following that performance was the wild cat trainer. Nellie watched, fascinated, as the lions and tigers jumped through hoops, play-fought with the trainer, and performed other amazing feats. And that was just the gist of it. There was much, much more – animals such as horses and elephants and monkeys performing various entertaining acts, a human cannonball, and a death-defying man who placed his head inside a lion's mouth and emerged unharmed (to the relief of the audience).

When the circus was almost over, Mrs. Lovett glanced over at Toby and Sweeney to see how they were enjoying the event. Toby's eyes were shining and he was completely absorbed in the performances. Nellie smiled and directed her attention to Sweeney.

Of course, he wasn't paying any attention to the circus. He was looking around at the audience, restlessly searching for a particular someone – the Judge, who didn't seem to be there. Mrs. Lovett hoped Sweeney wasn't too angry at her for practically forcing him to go to the circus by telling him that the Judge might be there (even though he wasn't and probably had much more important things to do than go to a circus). Even if he was furious, just having Mr. Todd next to her during the entire circus was worth standing through a thousand of his violent temper tantrums.

Suddenly, the lights came on and the audience clapped enthusiastically. The circus was over. Toby, Sweeney, and Nellie got up from their seats and made their way through the crowd.

"Well, tha' was fun, wasn't it?" Mrs. Lovett asked with a smile while fondly ruffling Toby's hair.

Toby nodded. He looked so happy. "Yes mum! Can we please see the clown, mum? Please?"

"Well, okay, love. How could I say no ta a face like that?" Mrs. Lovettreplied as she started walking towards a bright yellow sign. Written on it in bold black letters were these five words: _Meet Billy Bob the Clown_. Toby and Mr. Todd followed her, Sweeney emitting an angry sigh. As far as he was concerned, this entire trip had been a complete waste of time. Neither the Judge nor the Beadle had been present at the circus; therefore, the adventure had been completely useless. He had probably just given Mrs. Lovett false hope.

But that was not true for Toby, who was having the time of his life. He waited in line to meet the clown, finally acting like the naïve young boy he was supposed to be, chatting to Mrs. Lovett. Sweeney lurked in the background, refusing to take part in the conversation. Eventually, it was their turn to see the clown.

Billy Bob was dressed just like any other clown. He was very tall and wore huge, goofy shoes and a bright, silly outfit. His face was painted white and he had large, penciled-in lips and a gigantic red nose.

Toby stepped up to greet him excitedly. Mrs. Lovett turned to Mr. Todd, who, to her surprise, had stiffened. There was a strange look in his eyes.

Nellie's first thought was that he must have spotted the Judge. But no, that couldn't be it… She would've recognized that look…

"Hey, you! Why so sad?" a voice boomed. It was Billy Bob, and he was looking at Mr. Todd. Sweeney actually jumped when the clown turned to him, the weird look still on his face. Mrs. Lovett couldn't quite place it…

"What's your name, sir?" Billy Bob asked.

Mr. Todd opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. He swallowed nervously and finally stammered, "S-Sweeney Todd, sir."

Mrs. Lovett had never heard Sweeney stutter before. She saw Toby watching the scene with a huge grin on his face. He was certainly enjoying this. And suddenly, Mrs. Lovett recognized the look on Mr. Todd's face – it was fear. Absolute terror.

"Well, cheer up, Sweeney Todd! Don't be so glum! It's a brilliant spring morning!" Billy Bob exclaimed loudly, taking a step forward. Sweeney took a step back. He looked like was going to turn and run any minute.

"Yes sir," Mr. Todd choked out, shooting Mrs. Lovett a desperate glance. Nellie got the hint and turned to Toby.

"Come on, Toby dear," she called before heading back to Fleet Street, leaving the clown behind. Billy Bob turned his attention to a family that was next in line. Toby soon followed Nellie, chattering on happily about what a great time he had had. Sweeney Todd followed them one or two steps behind, drowning in shame and embarrassment.

* * *

"Never again," Sweeney growled once he and Mrs. Lovett were alone in his barber shop. "I'm never goin' to a circus again. I'd forgotten how much I _hate_ clowns. "

"Wot's wrong, Mr. T?" Nellie asked with a playful smile. "Ya didn't like Billy Bob?"

Mr. Todd shot her a furious glare and tightened his grip on the razor he was holding. "If you tell anyone, I swear I'll –"

"Your secret's safe wiv me, Mr. Todd," Mrs. Lovett interrupted. "I jus' never thought that _you_, of all people, would be afraid o' clowns…"

"Leave me," Sweeney hissed angrily. How dare Mrs. Lovett act so insolent? He would show her how to properly behave… later, when he had recovered from his extreme humiliation.

"Yes, Mr. T," Mrs. Lovett answered, leaving without a fight. She sensed Sweeney's need for some alone time.

_Well, this trip to the circus was certainly fun, and quite surprising, _Mrs. Lovett thought as she walked down the stairs. The great Sweeney Todd was afraid of clowns. Mrs. Lovett just couldn't get over that. Nellie cracked a smile. Knowing that fact about Mr. Todd seemed to make him more… human.

_No one's invincible. Not even demon barbers._

* * *

**A/N:** So, I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's silly, but... well, I'm scared of clowns, so why can't Sweeney Todd be? Besides, Billy Bob is pretty scary. You should meet him. xD Please, review! It would make my day, and you'd only spend a minute of yours! )


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